I'm interested in finding out from as many forum users as possible where you start from in a match? Do you always start on the pigs, turkeys, rams, or chickens? Is this just superstition for you or do you feel that starting on a certian animal better improves your scores? Just a thought I was pondering this last weekend. My thought is that if I start from pigs I get the easiest animal (being the largest) out of the way first and its a good warm up and I'm more likley to hit more turkeys.

It usually takes me about half the match to warm up, so I think I would rather start on rams.

I believe it's best to vari your starting position. In a big match you never know what you will draw on what day so you don't want to get used to always starting on the same animal. In a important match it could throw you off. Good for another excuse why you did poorly though...

Shakes,

You know, I never really thought about the order. I figure, I get to shoot at all of them before the day is out anyway, and I am always so nervous and excited that I am about to shoot in a match, it hasn't mattered. I never knew a person could just go to the range and shoot in an organized match without qualifying or anything. A single "shoot-through" and I score book and I was on my way. It's awesome! The only thing consistent about my shooting is that the turkey is the animal I tend to hit least often, no matter where I start. Must be revenge for all those Thanksgiving feasts.

For a few matches, a fellow shooter and new friend of mine who sort of took me under his wing picked out the cards and organized squadding for me. He always got me paired up with someone who knew that I was new, and could spot for me and help me learn the game. Thanks, Yoshi.

Now at my last match, I just showed up and took whatever was left in the pile after you more experienced shooters picked through for what you liked best. You all should come early and have your pick, because I really liked doing it that way, taking whatever's left. I ended up paired with a shooter I had never met, and we had a great time! We both shot our personal best ever, and had lots of laughs! One of his shots on a chicken grazed the animal so slightly that it sort of spun a little, wobbled, and took about 4 or 5 seconds to go down. A few other chicken shots hit in the feet and sent them explosively flying spinning clear over the berm! Great fun!

I think I will continue to just take whatever is left when I get there and that way, odds are I will get to try it out starting at different animals, and can shoot with someone new. I always learn something new from them, and so far have been glad to have met all those personalities. I tend to get a little tunnel-visioned trying to do everything right, and otherwise I wouldn't get to meet any of the shooters.

I think I ended up starting on turkeys that day, since my last animal was pigs. But just point me at any of them to start out and I'm happy as a clam.

Cheers!

We start where the Match Director says start in our area. When I am the Match Director at our range, I start a person off at a close animal in one rifle and a distant animal for the other rifle. Example: In Smallbore rifle I would start you off on pigs and in Hunter rifle I would start you off on Rams. Then the next month I would try to do just the opposite so that everyone gets used to as much variety as possible. The reason I do this is because of what Bob259 said.

Bobby R. Huddleston

I try and start on Turkeys. If they are not available, then, start on Rams. The reason, as the day progresses the wind generally comes up. I like to get the distance targets out of the way before the wind comes up. After the match, I will generally practice in the wind just in-case I have to shoot in the wind at the distance targets.

I have started on many different animals, my only preference at this point in time comes from having to set my own animals in the warm humid Florida summer so obviously I prefer to get my longer walking out of the way early in the day.
Prepare yourself to start anywhere and with different people. In a big match you never know what will be assigned and letting that little detail go is important to the mental part of the game.

Mary

Match director assigns starting spots by luck of the draw at OFGC. At larger matches (Winnsboro, etc) your starting spot is usually varied from match to match.

Kitty

One thing that should be noted about the larger matches, a good match director will try to follow requests for the shooter but also competitiors from the same class should be on the line at the same time if at all possible (eg. all Masters and AAA...), thus in changing weather they are all on even ground.

Mary

I like turkeys to begin

If I have a choice I like starting on turkeys. This is because I can't hit them and like getting them out of the way and not have to worry about them at the end when I may feel like I need to do well on them to have a halfway decent score. As far as feeling the need to start on a specific animal it really doesn't matter... shoot about the same no matter where I start.

I kinda go along with tim's theory. Turkeys are the place to start because of the wind comming up later in the day.

We shoot 2x40 shots with standard and hunter in our club shoots.
Starting positions are by draw so individuals don't have the choice of
where they start. Running two target banks of each animal,shooters
change banks and move ahead one animal for the 2nd 40 shot sub-match
This seems the fairest way we have found to allocate starting positions.
New shooters ,however, I try to start on the closer targets.

At the local matches I attend, the match director places people by luck of draw. Nobody complains about this practice as it is fair. However, I really like starting on turkeys because as the sun comes up the far targets start to "wash out" in the tan dirt of the backstops. This is especially true when shooting pistol sil. with open sights.

I like starting on rams, so I can finish on Turkeys. I seem to concentrate more at the end of the match and am not as nervous.

Varying your starting position is an an advantage because there is no guarantee you'll get what you want